经济学人｜“全球吃得最多的蔬菜”迎来丰收大年

Culture
Playing the tuba
The world's most common vegetable is enjoying a great year
Like chips and pancakes? Lucky you

They are calling it the Kartoffel-Flut: the potato flood. Germany, the largest producer of spuds in the European Union, is enjoying the biggest harvest in a generation, owing to optimal growing conditions and increased tuber cultivation. Last year's yield was 17% higher than the long-term average. Belgium, France and the Netherlands have also had a bounty.

In fact, there are so many potatoes—one farm near Leipzig had a surplus of 4,000 tonnes—that they are being given away. Some 200 distribution points have been set up across Berlin. Gasthaus Mutter Hoppe, a restaurant, had a tonne of taters to dish out; a waitress says they "ran out within days". The Berliner Tafel, a food bank, took 22 tonnes. Schools, homeless shelters and even the zoo have stocked up.

If you were to have an abundance of any crop, you would pick the potato. Not only does it store well, but it is filling and calorie-dense relative to other vegetables. It also lends itself to an extraordinary variety of meals. Germans are making potato dumplings and pancakes.

The organisers of the giveaway have launched a recipe challenge to inspire Kartoffel cooks, sharing tips for soups, salads and plenty more. As Sam memorably says in "The Lord of the Rings", you can "boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew!"

The spud's role in human history is no small potatoes. After the discovery by Spanish conquistadors of cultivation in the Andes, the potato became a staple food worldwide. (Potatoes now feed over 1bn people in more than 150 countries.) Crop failure can have disastrous consequences. After the harvest in Ireland was blighted in 1845, 1m people died and almost 3m emigrated.

To avoid famine, in 1756 Frederick the Great of Prussia issued a "potato decree" that obliged farmers to plant potatoes on at least a tenth of their land. Local lore has it that his royal guards protected potato fields so farmers would think it a precious crop.

Visitors sweet on potatoes leave them on Frederick's tomb at Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam. At the moment they can offer tributes by the armful.

词汇表
play the tuba [ˈtjuːbə] 吹大号
pancake [ˈpænkeɪk] n. 煎饼，薄饼
Kartoffel-Flut [kɑːˈtɒfl̩ fluːt] n.（德语）土豆丰收潮，土豆泛滥
spud [spʌd] / tater [ˈteɪtə(r)] n. （口语）土豆，马铃薯
optimal [ˈɒptɪməl] adj. 最佳的，最适宜的
tuber [ˈtjuːbə(r)] n. （土豆、红薯等的）块茎
yield [jiːld] n. 产量，产出，收成
bounty [ˈbaʊnti] n. 丰收，充裕，产量丰富
surplus [ˈsɜːpləs] n. 过剩，盈余，剩余
dish out 分发，发放，提供
food bank 食品银行，食物救济站
homeless shelter 无家可归者收容所，流浪汉庇护所
stock up [stɒk] 备货，囤货
filling [ˈfɪlɪŋ] adj.  （食物）饱腹的，易饱的
calorie-dense [ˈkæləri dens] adj. 高热量的，热量密集的
lend itself to 适合于，适宜于
giveaway [ˈɡɪvəweɪ] n. 赠送，免费分发
mash [mæʃ] vt. （食物）捣烂，捣碎，捣成泥
stew [stjuː] n. 炖菜，炖煮的菜肴
no small potatoes 非同小可，举足轻重
conquistador [kɒŋˈkwɪstədɔː(r)] n. 征服者（尤指16世纪入侵美洲的西班牙人）
Andes [ˈændiːz] n. 安第斯山脉
staple food [ˈsteɪpl] 主食，主粮
disastrous [dɪˈzɑːstrəs] adj. 灾难性的，极糟糕的，损失惨重的
blighted [ˈblaɪtɪd] adj. 枯萎的，遭灾的，歉收的
emigrate [ˈemɪɡreɪt] vi. 移居国外，移民
famine [ˈfæmɪn] n. 饥荒
Frederick the Great of Prussia [ˌfredrɪk][ˈprʌʃə] 普鲁士的腓特烈大帝
decree [dɪˈkriː] n. 法令，政令
oblige [əˈblaɪdʒ] vt. 强迫，迫使
sweet on 喜爱，钟情于
tomb [tuːm] n. 坟墓，墓穴
Sanssouci Palace [sænˈsuːsi ˈpæləs] n. 无忧宫（位于德国波茨坦）
tribute [ˈtrɪbjuːt] n. 贡品，致敬，敬意
by the armful [ˈɑːmfʊl] 成抱地，满怀地

🔆翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】